A hot real estate market has driven up home sales in Catoosa County, and the county assessor has revised home values upward by an average of 30% this year.
Assessed property value is a key factor in determining property owners’ tax bills, and many Catoosa County residents are expressing concern about the new higher values. Ashley O’Donald, the county’s chief assessor, said the Georgia Department of Revenue requires that assessed property value be kept within a certain percentage range compared to property sales.
“Since I came on board as chief appraiser last April, we have been trying to catch up on the housing market, which has been truly historic in recent years,” O’Donald said in a phone call.
The property valuations for fiscal year 2025 bring Catoosa County within the range required by the state when compared to values from property sales, O’Donald said, and a printed copy of that new value was mailed to property owners starting late last month.
The values of all property in Catoosa County have been reassessed, he said, and the average values for commercial and industrial properties have been increased by about 50 to 60 percent by the tax office. Agricultural property values have increased by about 30 percent on average, O’Donald said, but the increases in agricultural property values have been smaller.
(READ MORE: Catoosa County raises base rate for property value assessment)
In a phone call with O’Donald, he said his office has received about 100 appeals. The deadline to file appeals is August 9, he said, and property owners can file appeals online or at the tax office.
TAX AUTHORITY
The county commission recently heard testimony from county department heads and will make decisions on the county’s budget and tax rate for fiscal year 2025 in the coming weeks, county spokesman John Pless said by phone.
The financial year begins on October 1st.
Property taxes are calculated by multiplying each taxing authority’s tax rate by 40% of a property’s fair market value. Taxing authorities – county commissions, school boards and cities – can reduce their tax rate to account for increases in assessed property values.
“Real estate prices are rising significantly and that is due to one thing: demand,” said Pless about the district’s overheated real estate market. “It has gone through the roof.”
The school system’s share of property taxes accounts for more than 60 percent of a municipality’s property tax bill and nearly two-thirds of a property owner’s tax bill in non-incorporated areas, Pless said.
County Commissioner Chuck Harris said many department heads are calling for more employees and raises for staff in the upcoming budget, but Harris said the county needs to live within its means because of the struggling economy.
“We have to do what we have to do,” Harris said of the commission’s upcoming decision on property tax. “But I don’t see myself voting for a tax increase.”
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Harris said the county has lowered the tax rate for several years in a row, but in 2022 there was a property tax increase.
Unless the county or another taxing authority opts for a full tax rate cut that would neutralize the county’s projected property tax revenues, a series of public meetings would be necessary, he said.
In an email, Marissa Brower, spokeswoman for Catoosa County Public Schools, said it was too early to say whether the school system would lower its tax rate.
Some taxpayers are shocked by the new property value assessments they have been sent, Harris said, because the notice calculates a tax rate based on the new property value without the likely rate reduction. Taxpayers should not be concerned about the projected tax rate in the latest notice, he said, but they can call the county tax office at 706-965-3772 with questions.
TAXPAYER FEEDBACK
Ringgold resident Tonya Rogers said in a phone conversation that she is concerned about the new property assessment, noting that the assessed value of her home has increased by nearly 31% since last year.
“That’s just more money that I have to raise,” she said, if the county commission, school board and city don’t lower the tax rate. “Everyone bitches and complains.”
Rogers said she doesn’t think her property is worth that much, especially because the foundation needs repairs. She said she paid about $160,000 for her home in 2011, and this year it was appraised at nearly $326,000.
(READ MORE: Catoosa County Commission race focuses on taxes and growth)
The county has good schools, she said, but she believes the school system needs to revise its budget to avoid raising property taxes. She has also encouraged her friends and neighbors to attend public meetings of decision-makers instead of complaining online.
In an email, Brandon Maddox said the value of his property has nearly doubled between this year and last year.
He said he was concerned because he would likely have to pay more taxes, but he was also worried about young people trying to buy their first home.
“I have friends in their 20s who can’t get a loan for a home,” Maddox said. “If this continues, homeowners and buyers will both ultimately suffer because owners like me will have paid years of increased property taxes only to find that a portion of young first-time buyers can’t afford the mortgage on their first home or can’t get a loan for it.”
Contact Andrew Wilkins at [email protected] or 423-757-6659.
